Pneumatic pump.



'inder is partly empty of water.

Patented May 31, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH W. ELLIOTT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,065, dated May 31, 1904. Application filed March 14, 1904- Serial No. 197,973- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I; RALPH W. ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Pumps, of which the following is a specification.

" My invention'relates to improvements in pneumatic pumps, the object of my invention being to provide an apparatus of this character whiclrshall be cheap and simple in construction, have very'few moving parts, in which the working parts shall be readily accessible, in which the cylinder itself used in connection with such pump shall be void of such movable working parts, in which the use of flexible hose or pipe may be dispensed with, and consequently the whole apparatus will be rendered more durable and reliable than heretofore.

My invention therefore resides in the novel 1 construction, combination, and arrangement a side elevation, the lower part of the cylinder being broken away and the casing in which the cylinder works being shown in section, showing my improved pneumatic pump in the position in which the cylinder is filled with water. Fig. 2 is a similar View, the parts being in the position in which the cyl- Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of part of the discharge-pipe and the neck of the cylinder.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line A A of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail side View showing the latch.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the casing of a well from which water is to be pumped by means of my improved pneumatic 2 represents the pipe for conveying compressed air for the purpose of elevating the water. Said compressed-air pipe 2 passes into the interior of the water-outlet pipe 3, as shown at 4, and descends in the interior of it has a tendency to rise.

said pipe to a point where it connects through a hole 5 in the pipe with a narrow annular groove 6, cut on the outside of-said pipe.

The head 7 of the cylinder 8 is formed with a neck 9, fitting closely around the water-discharge-pipe and acting as a valve-casing, as will be presently shown. Said head 7 rests, in the lower position of the cylinder, upon a collar 10, secured upon the water-discharge pipe. Said water-discharge pipe extends to a point near the bottom of the cylinder 8, through which bottom water enters by a large flap-valve 11, hinged on one side, as shown at 12. The neck 9 of the head of the cylinder is cast with lateral extensions or wings 13, in which are formed air-conduits 14 to conduct the air from the groove 6 around the water- -discharge pipe to the interior of the cylinder.

When the cylinder has been let down into the water, the pressure of the water raises the flap- -valve 11, enters the cylinder, filling the same.

It will be observed that this valve is made very large, occupying almost the entire area of the bottom of the cylinder, the object be ing to allow the water to enter very rapidly,

so that the apparatus can operate with the greatest economy of time. As soon as the cylinder is'filled its buoyancy'is destroyed and it drops to its lowestpOsition, in which the air-ports 14 register with the narrow annular groove 6, formed around the wateroutlet pipe. The passage is immediately open for the flow of compressed air from the compressed-air pipe through said ports 14: tothe cylinder. The compressed air entering the cylinder forces the water up the water-discharge pipe 3 and through a check-valve 15 in saiddischarge-pipe slightly above the cylinder. The expulsion of thewater from the cylinder by means of the compressed air increases the buoyancy of the cylinder, so that It is preferred not to allow the cylinder to rise the moment that its weight would be less than that of the water displacedor, in other words, the moment its buoyancy will permit it to rise,which would take place before the cylinder was completely empty of waterbut rather to oppose the rise of the cylinder until it has been completely emptied of water. This is accomplished by providing an upwardly-pointing spring-latch 16, secured upon the upper end of the neck of the cylinder, the free end of said latch engaging a collar 17. secured upon the water-discharge pipe. Said spring-latch is arranged to be of sufiicient strength to resist the upward movement of the cylinder until it has been completely emptied of water. Then the cylinder moves upward into its upper position, as shown in Fig. 2. In this position the passage of the compressed air to the cylinder is closed. The ports 14 then register with the lower portion of a wide groove 18, formed on the outside of the water-discharge pipe above the lower narrow groove 6. When so registering, the compressed air can immediately escape from the cylinder to the outer air by the ports 14 in the neck thereof and by the wide upper groove. The cylinder then again fills with water; but until it is quite filled with water the drop of the cylinder is again arrested by the engagement of the spring latch 16 against the upper shoulder of the collar 17 As soon as the weight of thecylinder has increased sufficiently to overcome said springlatch, which takes place when the cylinder is full of water, the cylinder again drops,and the operation is repeated.

Since the collars on the water-discharge pipe and the two grooves on its outer surface extend entirely around it, it is immaterial what position around said pipe the ports in the cylinder-neck or the cylinder itself assume with reference to said water-dischargepipe. The cylinder can revolve freely around said water-discharge pipe without any change in the mode of operation.

The advantages of the above construction are as follows: By making use of the waterdischarge pipe as the central core of the valve controlling the compressed air any heating of said valve is prevented,because the valve-core is always filled with circulating water. By the use of the head of the cylinder as a valvecasing the construction is much simplified and the cost is reduced to a minimum. By con ducting the compressed-air pipe in the interior of the water-discharge pipe a separate connection between the compressed-air pipe and the water-cylinder is dispensed with. The whole arrangement of parts renders unnecessary the use of flexible tubing or joints. The only working part of this pumpnamely, the valvemay be lubricated by the introduction of oil in the upper end of the compressed-air pipe, which by gravity passes down said pipe to its opening in the lower groove on the water-discharge pipe and is applied to the walls of the valve-casing and to that part of the water-pipe which forms the core of the valve. This permits of less friction and insures a greater certainty of action. It is also of a great advantage to be able to lubricate this valve without raising the pump to the surface 5 ports will always register with the grooves in the water-discharge pipe. That part of the valve-casing above the ports has very little wear, because during a portion of its upward and downward movement it passes and repasses the wide upper groove on the water-discharge pipe and at that time has no contact or friction with the valve-core.

I claim 1. In apneumatic pump, the combination of a compressed-air pipe, a water-discharge pipe, acylinder having a neck sliding on said waterdischarge pipe, said water-discharge pipe and neck thus forming valve-operating mechanism for controlling admission of the compressed air from said pipe to the cylinder, the waterdischarge pipe leading to a point near the bottom of the cylinder, and having a check-valve therein and the cylinder having an inlet-valve for the water, substantially as described.

2. Inapneumatic pump, the combination of a compressed-air pipe, a water-discharge pipe, a cylinder havinga neck around the water-discharge pipe and moving longitudinally with regard thereto, said cylinder having a port communicating in one position with said compressed-air pipe and in another position with the outer air, the water-discharge pipe leading to a point near the bottom of the cylinder and having a check-valve and the cylinder having an inlet-valve, substantially as described.

3. Inapneumatic pump, the combination of a compressed-air pipe, a water-discharge pipe into the interior of which the compressed-air pipe is conducted, a cylinder having a neck surrounding said water-discharge pipe and forming a valve-casing, said neck sliding on said water-discharge pipe I and having a port for conducting the compressed air to the cylinder, said water discharge pipe having formed on its surface next said neck a conduit into the outer air when in one position of the cylinder and having means for connecting the compressed-air pipe with said port in the other position of the cylinder, the water-discharge pipe leading to a point near the bottom of the cylinder, and having a check-valve therein, and the cylinder having an inlet-valve for the water, substantially as described.

4:. In apneumatic pump, the combination of a compressed-air pipe, a water-discharge pipe, a cylinder having a neck surrounding said compressed-air pipe and sliding thereover, said neck having a port for compressed air and said waterdischarge pipe having two annular grooves on its outer surface, said port communicating in one position with one of said grooves and in the other position with the other groove, one of said grooves also communicating with the outer air simultaneously with said port, and the other groove communicating with the compressed-air pipe, substantially as described.

5. In a pneumatic pump, the combination of a compressed-air pipe, a water-discharge pipe, a cylinder having a neck sliding on said waterdischarge pipe, said water-discharge pipe and neck thus forming val ve-operating mechanism for controlling admission of the compressed air from said pipe to the cylinder, the waterdischarge pipe leading to a point near the bottom of the cylinder, and having a check-valve therein and the cylinder having an inlet-valve for the water, the compressed-air pipe having a collar thereon and the neck having a springlatch engaging the lower edge of the collar in one position and the upper edge of the other position to resist the movement of the cylinder due to its change in buoyancy, substantially as described.

6. In a pneumatic pump, the combination of I a Water-discharge pipe, a compressed-air pipe leadingdownward in the interior of said waterdischarge pipe and communicating through said pipe with an annular groove formed on the outer surface of said pipe, said pipe having a second wider groove above said lower groove, a cylinder having a neck sliding on said water-discharge pipe and having a port communicating simultaneously with the atmosphere, the water-discharge pipe leading to said water-discharge pipe and having a port communicating alternately with said grooves, the upper groove also communicating simul taneously with the atmosphere, the water-discharge pipe leading to a point near the bottom of the cylinder, the cylinder having an inlet-valve, said water-discharge pipe and neck having, one a collar and the other a spring latch, extending in the direction of said collar and engaging alternately the upper and lower shoulders thereof to resist the movement of the cylinder due to a change in its buoyancy, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. R. W. ELLIOTT.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS W. WRIGHT, BESSIE GORFINKEL. 

